Why do we need to know about RNA interference?

This question is almost certainly triggered by the questioner's years of experience teaching A&P successfully without mentioning RNAi or its roles in human biology. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Good advice in general, I guess, but this maxim does not apply to the idea that we need to continually update our courses in order to serve our students well.

The recent discovery of RNAi and its functions is one reason it has been slow to enter the commonly taught A&P curriculum. But its important role in human biology is now widely recognized.

So, here are a few (of many) reasons that including RNAi in an A&P course is useful:

RNAi plays a role in defending our cells against viruses by stopping viral genetic code from being translated in host cells

RNAi likely plays a role in regulating gene activity in a cell by preventing translation of the gene product(s)

RNAi is increasingly used as method for "knocking out" a particular gene's effects in research animals in order to study the gene's functions

RNAi is being used to treat genetic disease. . . an application that will likely expand greatly over the next few decades

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I've worked as an anatomy & physiology professor for several decades, having taught at high school, community college, and university levels. I write A&P textbooks and manuals. I am a President Emeritus of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) and a founder of HAPS Institute, a continuing education program for A&P professors. I have several blogs, websites, & a podcast related to teaching and learning. And in my youth I was a wild animal trainer.